Winding machine



Patented Apr. 27 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE mesne assignments, to Thermoid Companm; Hamilton Township, N. J., a corporation of Delaware Application August 13, 1951; S eria'PNo; 241,599" 7 Claims. (01. 242-7) This invention relates to winding machines-and more particularly to-a machine adapted to wind impregnated strands of material into helical coils which are' ultimately madeup into friction plates such as clutch fa'cings and brake linings.

An object of the invention is to provide a machine which is adapted-to wind strands of material in a cries-cross helical pattern upon a mandrel.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine and method for producing improved friction facingswhe'reby impregnated strands are wound upon an elongated mandrel by Ine'ansof a no'v'el'feed mechanism to form criss-cross helical windings which are subsequently pressedand cured to form friction facings.

A further object of the invention is to provide a winding machine that is equipped with interchangeable components for producing different sizes and grades of friction facings.

Another object of the invention is to provide a winding machine that is inexpensive to' manufacture', economical to' operate and simple to maintain. I

These and other objects of the invention will be exemplified in the'following description taken in connection with the drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a top view of the winding machine made in accordance'with the principles of my invention, with some'parts omitted for clarity of illustration;

I Figure 2is a side view of the machine" shown in Figure 1; I

Figure 3 is an end view, partly in section, taken on line 3-'-3 of Figurez; V

Figure 4 is an end view showing the brake mechanism in detail;

Figure 5 is' an enlarged perspective detail view of the feed mechanism and a portion of the mandrel;

Figured is a side View of thema'ndrel, some what enlarged, showing" the" disposition of some of the strands thereon;

Figure 7 is a perspective view of thewindih'gs that have been removed from'theimandrel and curved to show one step in the formation of a friction facing; and

Figure 8 is a perspective viewof a finished friction facing which has been formed from the windings taken from' the mandrel and pressed into a flat disk. D p g Referring to the drawings'in detail, Figures 1 and 2 show'a table I I supported on legs I Zi Positioned upon'and bolted to table II is afU-shaped frame l3 whose-legs [land 55 extend upwardly and terminatein-journalboxes li'iand Hi, Supported by saidjouinal'boxes' is a shaiff. mafia-h rota'tesfr'eely therein. Connected to shaft [Bis a disk wheel l9 having a flat section 2! against whichfrictionalforce may be exerted to cause shaft la'to rotate.

Connected to and extending rearwardlyfrom journal box I 6 is journal box 22 in which shaft 23 rotates. Attached to shaft 23 is a friction drum 24 whose peripheral surface'is brought to bear frictionally upon the flat section 2| of wheel 19. Positionedupon and bolted to table I l is an electric motor 25 uponwhose'shaft 2'6-is a pulley 2-? connected by means of belt Z-B to pulley 253 on shaft 23.; The operation-ofmotor 25 through pulleys 2'1 and 29, druml and disk It brings about the rotation of shaft lfi.

Positioned upon table- It at the right of frame I 3 is a block 61 supporting shaft'32 which extends to andis supportedin-the base'of-frame l3. Rigidly' secured within block BI is rod 33 which in conjunction with shaft 32 rigidly supports block 3 L Connected between block 34- and frame I3 is shaft 35 to which are connected blocks 36 and 3 1.

That'portionof shaft la which extends to the right of-journal box I! has an enlarged section 39 to which gear 4! is connected. The enlarged shaft section 39 extend through gear ll and has a terminalportion 42 having a recess. A

.mandrel 43" hasa narrowed end so which fits into the recess interminal portion 42 by means of a friction fit or'by means ofany suitable key ing arrangement-whereby mandrel 43 is supported on that'- end and is rotatedby shaft [8.

Rigidly' supported by shafts 33- and 35 is a block-45. in the top ofwhich isconnected a lever arm 46 by means of a pivot pin 42'. Lever arm 45 is capable of swinging to the right by means of hand pressure applied to handle it but it is prevented from swinging to-- the left of the vertical by means". of the stop action of upwardly extending st'op plate 49' rigidly connected to block 45; Tension spring 50 connected between arin' wand-block 45 serves to maintain arm 46 pressedagainst plate i9; Stop plate 425 has an aperture through which the right terminus of the narrowed end El' of mandrel 43 is inserted and by which it is rotatably supported. Lever arm' iii' ha's'a recess '52'which is adapted to accommodatetlie terminus of mandrel 315, and when said arin isin the upright position it serves to lock mandrel 43 position.

Blocks. 36 and 3! support feed drive shaft 53: which is rotatable between and within said blocks whioh also. supportstationary runner. shafts E4 and'55. Rigidly attached re thelef-t end of shaft 53 isla ge'a'r' withgear it whereby tion of mandrel 43. Between blocks 36 and 31 shaft '53 has a double helical screw recess 51 which acts as a worm gear for the traverse of the feed mechanism in both longitudinal directions.

The feed mechanism comprises a carriage 58 which is mounted upon and moves lengthwise along shafts 35, 54 and 55 which serve as runners for said carriage, while an aperture is provided in said carriage through which screw shaft 53 passes and freely rotates. (See also Fig. 3.) The aperture which accommodates shaft 35 is open on its lower periphery while downwardly extending extensions 59 and 62 which are somewhat separated from each other are connected by means of a screw bolt '62 which can be operated to vary the distance between said extensions in order to loosen or tighten the aperture around shaft 35. This arrangement is provided in order to adjust the frictional relationship between carriage 58 and shaft so that the carriage may be moved with the maximum efficiency in addition to stabilizing the movement of said carriage along shafts 35, 54 and 55.

In the lower forward part of carriage 58 pin 63 extends diagonally upward and its upper end has a key 54 which is adapted to engage screw recess 51 of shaft 53. Key pin 63 is held in position by means of a lock pin 65 inserted into the side of carriage 58. Lock pin 65 engages an undercut annular recess in the shaft portion of key pin 63, thereby permitting key pin 63 to r0- tate so that key 64 may freely follow the helical screw recesses 51. The interaction of key 64 and recesses 51- on rotating shaft 53 forces key 64 to move from one end of the shaft to the other, thus moving carriag 58 back and forth along shafts 35, 54 and 55. When carriage 58 reaches either end of said shafts key 64 is rotated in such a manner that it engages the return set of screw recesses 51 which causes carriage 58 to return to the other end of said shaft. This process is continuous so that when the winding machine is in operation carriage 58 traverses continuously from one end of the shaft to the other.

On the front of carriage 58 there are two upwardly extending arms 66 and 61, in the tops of each of which are bearing recesses 68. Said recesses 68 accommodate the ends of shaft 69 which is free to rotate therein. Connected to shaft 63 is a series of guide disks H which serve as spacing guides for strands of material that are to be fed toward rotating mandrel 43. sembly of shaft 69 and disks H can readily be removed from recesses 68 and another shaft having different spacings between disks may be nested therein.

In operation a plurality of impregnated single or multiple ply strands T2 are passed spaced apart one from another through guide disks H and over mandrel 43. The ends of strands 12 are twisted together into a short braid 13 and are inserted into a slot '14 in mandrel 43 while the mandrel is stationary and the machine is inoperative. When the machine is started and mandrel 43 begins to rotate slot 14 grasping braid 13 of strands 1'2 pulls and winds said strands upon the mandrel while carriage 68 is moved along shafts 35, 54, and by the interaction of screw shaft 53 and key 64.

As the feed mechanism moves from one end of th machine to the other the strands 12' are laid down in a helical pattern over mandrel 43. As the feed mechanism makes a return trip a layer of helical windings are criss-crossed over the The unitary aslayer of windings underneath. Depending upon the desired quality and structure of the end product the number of traverse passes of feed carriage 68 may be varied from two to six or more. Also the spacing between the disks H may be varied in order to change the texture andstructure of the friction material produced by the present machine.

It will be noted that mandrel 43 has tapered sections 15 and 16 which permit the windings to be easily removed from the mandrel.

As described above mandrel 43 is driven by means of a friction disk [9 and friction drum 24 which in turn is driven by motor 25 through a suitable pulley system. Although the mechanism may be started and stopped by an electric switch on motor 25, I prefer to have motor 25 running constantly while I provide a combined drive release and brake mechanism for shaft l8. This mechanism includes a brake drum H on the end of and rotating with shaft l8.

Connected to shaft 32 which extends through frame 13 to the left is a pivotable brake arm 18 having a recess 19 adapted frictionally to engage the outer tapered periphery 86 of the shaft portion of brake drum 11. A handle bar 8! is rigidly connected to brake arm 18 and extends to the rear of the machine where the end of said handle bar is engaged by a spring 82 whose other end is connected to table II. Normally spring 32 pulls downward on the end of handle bar 81 and causes brake arm 78 to engage brake drum 1'! to main tain shaft 18 and. mandrel 43 in a motionless position.

It will b noted that shaft 68 is slightly movable longitudinally within journals l5 and ll. When the recess surface 19 of brake arm 18 engages the tapered periphery 80 of brake drum TI, shaft I8 is caused to move slightly to the right carrying along with it disk I9 as shown in dotted outline in Fig. 1. This slight displacement of disk 19 to the right disengages the fiat section 2| from the continuously rotating drum 2% so that disk 19 and mandrel 43 are rendered motionless.

Of course, when shaft I8 is moved to the right, mandrel 43 moves accordingly, with its right terminus extending further through the aperture in stop plate 49 and pushing arm 45 to the right against the tension of spring 50. Although the displacement of disk I!) has been shown in dotted outline, it will be understood that mandrel 43 and arm 45 are also displaced, but the latter displacement is not illustrated since that will readily be understood from this description.

While shaft I8 and mandrel 43 are motionless the strands 12 may be adjusted through guides H, over'mandrel 43 and braided into slot it. After this preliminary adjustment, handle bar 3: i manually pushed downwards and maintained in that position by the operator by means of grip 83. When recess surface '19 is disengaged from tapered periphery 88-, the action of spring 53 causes arm 46 to move back against stop plate 49 while recess 52 causes mandrel 43 as well as shaft l8 to move toward the left. This action also moves disk [9 to the left and brings flat section 2| into frictional engagement with continuously rotating drum 24 whereby disk 53, shaft 53 and mandrel 43 are caused to rotate.

As shaft l8 and mandrel 43 begin to rotate, the feed mechanism actuated by rotating screw shaft 53, winds the strands on the rotating mandrel while grip 83 is held continuously by the operator. An L-shaped stop arm 84 connected to arm M of frame [3 is provided whereby the movement of brake arm 18 away from brake drum '1! is limited. When the desired number of passes of strands on the rotating mandrel is completed, handle bar BI is released. The action of spring 82 causes brake arm 18 to move back to engage brake drum ll whereby the rotation of shaft i3 and mandrel 43 as well as that of shaft 53 and carriage 55 is stopped. a

After the strands have been suitably wound upon the mandrel, and the machine has been stopped, handle 48 is moved manually to the right releasing the terminus of mandrel '43 which can now be pulled from the socket section 42 of shaft [8. The windings are then manually removed from the mandrel, this manipulation being fairly simple since the impregnated strands have some degree of stiffness which permits them to retain their helical coiled shape.

After the helical coil 85 of strands are removed, it may be curved manually so that a narrowed end 86 where the windings covered section 16 of mandrel 43 is turned toward the slightly wider end 87 of the windings which covered the wider section of mandrel 43. This is illustrated in Fig. 7. The small end is inserted into the larger end and the coil strands are then pressed into a flat disk 88 as shown in Fig. 8. This fiat disk is then cured under elevated temperatures and pressures to form the finished friction facing in the form of clutch friction disk. Alternatively, as the windings come off the mandrel as a straight coil they may be pressed fiat in a longitudinal strip which can then be cured and subsequently cut into shorter lengths to form friction facings for brake linings.

For differing qualities and types of friction facings where the density and distribution of the strands are to be varied, changes may be made in the gear ratio between mandrel 43 and worm gear shaft 53 so that the strands are wound upon the mandrel at different rates. Also by changing the pitch of the helical recesses on shaft 53, the speed of traverse of carriage 55 may be changed in order to distribute the strands upon the mandrel at a different angle.

It will be understood that modifications may be made in the design and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. A strand winding machine comprising a rotating mandrel, a shaft connected to' and rotated in conjunction with said mandrel, helical screw recesses on said shaft, a carriage, means connecting said carriage to said helical recesses whereby said carriage is moved from one end of said shaft to the other when said shaft rotates, a pair of upwardly extending arms on said carriage, a recess in the top of each of said arms, a shaft nested horizontally and freely rotatable in said recesses, a series of spaced apart guides on said horizontally and. freely rotatable shaft, said guides being adapted to pass a plurality of strands in a spaced apart relation towards the rotating mandrel, said horizontally and freely rotatable shaft being removable from said recesses.

2. A machine according to claim 1 and further comprising a notch in one end of said mandrel adapted to accommodate and hold a braid of the ends of said strands whereby said strands may be pulled through said guides while. bein wound around said mandrel.

3. A strand winding machine comprising a motor, a first shaft rotated by said motor, a mandrel connected to and rotated by said shaft, a second shaft connected to and rotated by said first shaft, helical screw recesses on said second shaft, a frame, a carriage on said frame and movable thereon longitudinally with respect to said mandrel and said second shaft, a key in said carriage, said key engaging said helical screw recesses whereby the rotation of said second shaft causes said carriage to move back and forth longitudinally on said frame and parallel to said mandrel, a pair of upwardly extending brackets connected to said carriage, a recess in the top of each of said brackets, a horizontal shaft adapted to be rotatably supported in said recesses, and a plurality of channels on said horizontal shaft between which a plurality of spaced-apart strands may be fed to the mandrel as the latter rotates.

4. A strand winding machine comprising a rotatable shaft, a mandrel connected on one end to and rotated by said shaft, a disk mounted on said shaft and rotating therewith, said disk having a flat annular portion, a normally rotating drum whose peripheral surface frictionally engages said flat portion of said disk to rotate said shaft, a motor connected to and driving said drum, said shaft being slightly movable longitudinally, a brake drum on one end of said shaft, said brake drum having a tapered peripheral surface, a pivoted brake arm, said arm adapted frictionally to engage said tapered surface, a spring connected to said arm normally holding said brake in contact with said brake drum, whereby said shaft is urged longitudinally to move said disk and accordingly said annular portion of the disk out of engagement with said drum thereby stopping the rotation of said shaft, said brake arm being movable to release said brake drum, whereby said shaft may be urged back to a position Where said annular portion of said disk is frictionally engaged by said first mentioned drum.

5. A machine according to claim 4, and further comprising a stop plate, the other end of the mandrel being engaged by a recess in said stop plate, said other end being movable in and out of said recess, and the means of urging the return of said shaft to the rotating position comprising a lever arm associated with said stop plate, and a spring connected to said lever arm, said arm being caused by the tension of said spring to urge said mandrel and said shaft back to the rotating position.

6. A machine according to claim 5, and further comprising a second shaft connected to and rotated by said first shaft, a helical screw on said second shaft, a carriage mounted on said second shaft keyed into said screw for moving said carriage longitudinally and parallel to said mandrel, a guide on said carriage, and a plurality of channels in said guide adapted to feed a plurality of spaced apart strands to said mandrel as the latter rotates.

7. A machine according to claim 6 wherein said guide comprises a freely rotatable shaft and a plurality of spaced apart disks connected to said shaft.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,498,011 Belz June 17, 1924 2,092,811 Moncrieff et a1 Sept. 14, 1937 2,519,461 Hanson Aug. 22, 1950 

